Montgomery County identified a case of measles over the weekend. Here’s what to know about the virus. – The Philadelphia Inquirer

In the last year, several cases of measles have been identified in the Philadelphia region; last winter, a measles outbreak sickened nine people and sent six to the hospital in Philadelphia.Health officials in Montgomery County announced over the weekend that a child in the county who was too young to be vaccinated had been diagnosed with measles.Officials are still working on contact tracing for the child and their parents. Anyone who visited certain locations in North Philadelphia, Plymouth Meeting, and King of Prussia could have been exposed.In the last year, several cases of measles have been identified in the Philadelphia region; last winter, a measles outbreak sickened nine people and sent seven to the hospital.New Jersey’s Bergen County recently reported three measles cases, all in unvaccinated residents.Here’s what to know about measles and how to protect yourself.The measles case in Montgomery County was diagnosed in a baby who was too young to receive their first dose of the measles vaccine, said Richard Lorraine, the medical director of Montgomery County’s health department.That child had recently traveled internationally to an area where measles circulates more widely, Lorraine said, then traveled home to Montgomery County through New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.Lorraine said that the county has no other cases currently. Officials have tracked a few people who were potentially exposed to the virus and also are not sure if they are immunized. These contacts were being checked for antibodies to the disease.“There’s a very good chance we’re not going to see additional cases,” he said, noting the community has strong protection because of high rates of measles vaccination in Montgomery County — around 95%.Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through respiratory droplets from an infected person, either by people touching the droplets directly or coming into contact with airborne droplets after an infected person coughs or sneezes.It can live for up to two hours in the air, even after an infected person leaves the area, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.That’s why, when a measles case is identified, health officials often put out warnings listing public places recently visited by an infected person, to ensure that anyone who might have passed through the area can protect themselves.The child in the Montgomery County case had been at True North Pediatrics Associates of Plymouth in Plymouth Meeting and CHOP King of Prussia Campus Emergency Department on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Between Tuesday, Feb. 25, and Wednesday, Feb. 26, the child had also traveled on a China Airlines Airport shuttle bus that left from John F. Kennedy Airport Terminal 4 in New York and arrived at Pho Ha Saigon in North Philadelphia.» READ MORE: What to know about measles in children: Vaccination schedule and what measles rash looks likeThe virus’ early symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red and puffy eyes, and a rash. In serious cases, measles can lead to pneumonia, brain infections, and death.In a large ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas, one child has died. The CDC says that about one in five unvaccinated people who contract measles will be hospitalized, and one in 20 children will develop pneumonia, the leading cause of death from measles in young children.About one to three children out of every 1,000 infected with measles will die.The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which most people get in childhood, is 93% effective at preventing measles after one dose and 97% effective after two doses. A small number of people can get measles after being vaccinated, especially amid an outbreak; in the West Texas outbreak, about 5% of those infected were already vaccinated, “consistent with what we have seen in previous years,” the CDC wrote on its website.» READ MORE: As flu slams the Philly region, the FDA cancels a meeting on next season’s vaccinesBut vaccinated people who get infected generally have a milder illness and are less likely to spread the virus to others, the CDC says.The CDC encourages most people who can to get vaccinated against measles. Even unvaccinated people who have been exposed to the virus may get some protection against the virus if they get vaccinated within 72 hours, the CDC says. Exceptions include people who are pregnant or who have weakened immune systems or severe allergies to a vaccine component.People without written documentation of an MMR vaccine should also get vaccinated, the CDC says: “The MMR vaccine is safe, and there is no harm in getting another dose if you may already be immune to measles, mumps, or rubella.”Some people who received a measles vaccine in the 1960s might need to get another vaccine: Between 1963 and 1967, an ineffective measles vaccine that used an inactivated virus was distributed. The CDC says that people vaccinated before 1968 with an inactivated measles vaccine or a vaccine of “unknown type” should get at least one dose of a measles vaccine that uses a live virus.People born before 1957 are considered immune to the virus, the CDC says, although people in that age group who work in health care and don’t have lab evidence of either immunity or a prior case of the disease should consider an MMR vaccine.Between 1968 and 1989, most patients received one dose of a measles vaccine. People vaccinated in that time period can ask their providers about receiving a second dose as well, Lorraine said.Most children get their first measles vaccine around 12 months old and their second around 4 years old. Babies 6 to 11 months old who are traveling internationally should get one dose of the vaccine, and babies who have had an MMR dose before their first birthday should get two more doses starting at a year old, the CDC says.Lorraine said that parents can also ask their doctors about getting their child’s second vaccine slightly early if they are planning to travel internationally or to a place in the United States where a measles outbreak is occurring, like Texas.The case in Montgomery County can serve as a reminder for adults to make sure they’re up to date on all their vaccines, Lorraine said. “It’s a good time to double check your immune status,” he said.Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional information about the Montgomery County case, and to clarify the number of hospitalizations in an outbreak last year in Philadelphia.

Source: https://www.inquirer.com/health/montgomery-county-measles-2025-cases-symptoms-vaccines-20250303.html